


Secrets of the Wild

by Bookdragon1013



Series: LU Wild Adventures [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Fi makes an appearance, Fighting, Gen, Help, Mild Swearing, Miscommunication + Idiots equals no good times :(, More tags to be added, Mute Wild (Linked Universe), Wild (Linked Universe)-centric, Wild uses sign, Wolfie also shows up, secrecy, tagging is obscenely hard, wow are you still reading these tags?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29569926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookdragon1013/pseuds/Bookdragon1013
Summary: Wild has been keeping most of his journey a secret--the Chain only knows that the Calamity destroyed Hyrule and that he can come back to life with Mipha's Grace. They don't know about the other dead Champions, that he slept for a hundred years and lost his memories, that he failed. And frankly, he's not sure if he wants to tell them. The other Heroes of Courage would be ashamed he shared the Hero's Spirit with them, they would hate him for how he let down his kingdom and friends.Of course, Wild might not get a chance to hide his secrets as the Chain travels through his Hyrule.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Four & Wild (Linked Universe), Hyrule & Wild (Linked Universe), Legend & Wild (Linked Universe), Sky & Wild (Linked Universe), Time & Twilight (Linked Universe), Time & Wild (Linked Universe), Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe), Warriors & Wild (Linked Universe), Wild & Wind (Linked Universe)
Series: LU Wild Adventures [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2124288
Comments: 80
Kudos: 392





	1. Blood Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAA-
> 
> ...I will just leave this here. This dang chapter fought me with tooth and nail!
> 
> This fic is a sequel to The Untamed Hero. It might be able to be read on its own, but it would definitely make more sense if you've read the other one.
> 
> I apologize for the f-bomb (no, it wasn't Legend), but, my boi gets permission to swear when things go way downhill.

Zelda jolted awake, pages of research peeling themselves from her cheek. The princess blearily rubbed at her eyes, smearing ink over her face, and stretched. She looked around at the dark lighting of Purah’s Lab and sighed. She must have fallen asleep again, but why did she wake up? It wasn’t a nightmare this time...

She blinked and pressed a hand to her chest. 

“...Link?” Zelda whispered. 

<><><>

Wild took a deep breath of the clear air as his heart danced with joy. The off-kilter feeling he’d been trying to ignore for the past several weeks was finally gone. 

He was home. 

The world around him rustled with wildlife, awash in the stunning golden glow of the sunset. They were on Mable Ridge, just to the right of the Dueling Peaks. 

He reluctantly returned his attention to the other heroes around him. Four was sitting on the ground with his head between his knees and breathing heavily—switching Hyrules was never easy for him—and the others weren’t much better. Wild sighed. They’d probably have to make camp right where they were.

Sure enough, dark quickly fell and they still hadn’t gone anywhere. The heroes were doing the usual nightly routine: cleaning armor, taking inventory of supplies, discussing watch schedules, or just messing around. 

Wild was preparing dinner, chopping up some swift carrots, when he noticed an unnatural bloodred glint off his knife. 

The sight made his muscles lock up. It could only mean one thing, but he had defeated Ganon, hadn’t he? It only made sense that it would disappear with the Calamity; Zelda had even said that she was nearly positive it wouldn’t occur anymore.

Slowly, Wild raised his eyes to the starlit sky. 

His eyes widened in horror at what he saw. The moon was encased in the telltale red of a Blood Moon, crimson tendrils seeping out into the surrounding night. The knife slipped from his fingers. 

He could almost  _ hear _ the phantom of Zelda’s weary voice in his head.  _ The Blood Moon rises once again… _

_...Please be careful, Link.  _

“Wild?” Wind’s voice was distant, barely piercing the fog of his panic. It was enough to snap him out of his inaction, though. Wild scooped up the knife from the grass and began stashing everything away in the Sheikah Slate. They needed to move. He tried to remember what monsters were in this area, but he couldn’t think straight.  _ He couldn’t remember.  _

That was fine, though, all Wild knew was that they needed to get somewhere safe. They had enough time that  _ maybe  _ they could make it to Kakariko; hopefully, at least enough time to reach the canyon leading to the village. It was safe there, wasn’t it? Or maybe it would be better to head for Dueling Peaks Stable...

“Whoa, what are you doing?” Warriors asked when Wild began to pack up their bedrolls. He checked the time on the Slate and ignored Wars; shit, they only had three hours—

Wild’s breathing was ragged as he whistled sharply to gather everyone’s attention. They needed to go. Immediately. 

He pointed with a vicious jab in the moon’s direction. He could already feel the faint scent of Malice teasing him.  _ ‘B-L-O-O-D M-O-O-N,’  _ he finger spelled to the other heroes.  _ ‘Need to go now.’  _

“Are you kidding me?” Legend snapped. “Four can barely walk!” 

Wild winced.  _ That  _ was going to be a problem. 

“What’s a blood moon?” Sky asked.

For a moment, all Wild could do was stare as a realization dawned on him.  _ The others didn’t have Blood Moons.  _

It made a twisted sense. The others didn’t have the Calamity to contend with; as far as he knew, Ganon hadn’t destroyed the other’s kingdoms. So of course they didn’t have Blood Moons; hell, Wild himself was almost certain _he_ shouldn’t have them anymore. 

_ ‘C-A-L-A-M-I-T-Y revives all monsters on B-L-O-O-D M-O-O-N.’  _

“It  _ what?! _ ” 

Wild just waved off the questions with an anxious glance at the surrounding area. He desperately tried to remember what the monsters were here, even as the words  _ no time  _ rang through his head. 

_ ‘We have to go,’  _ Wild signed again. 

“Wait, we need more information,” Twilight said. “Blood Moons do what now?” 

Wild wanted to scream. ‘ _ No time!’  _ he signed with ferocity.  _ ‘We  _ **_have to move_ ** _.’  _

_ Why  _ weren’t they moving? How come they weren’t listening to him? 

At least Time seemed a little concerned; he was looking up at the moon with a strange expression. “This is Wild’s Hyrule. We should listen to him,” the older hero said sharply. Thankfully,  _ finally,  _ the others listened to Time and began to begrudgingly pack up. Four could do little more than stare vacantly ahead, muttering to himself. Wild was concerned at that, but no one else seemed particularly worried, so he decided that he could let the matter slide for now. 

He checked the time, and Wild’s stomach dropped. How had half an hour already passed? There just  _ wasn’t enough time.  _

Dueling Peaks Stable was closer; however, the terrain was more treacherous and Wild didn’t think that Four could handle it.  _ We can make it to Kakariko,  _ he told himself.  _ We just have to be quick.  _

They set off, but at a much slower pace than Wild wanted. It was infuriating. They didn’t understand how urgent this was! Already, as they walked, Wild could feel himself begin to drown in the buildup of Malice. They were barely halfway when the flecks of Malice began to filter through the air. 

_ No,  _ Wild thought as one floated by him. His stomach churned nauseatingly. 

The others coughed and gasped for air. “What is this?” Legend choked out, but Wild couldn’t answer because he was too busy watching the sky fill with red. 

The moon reached its apex. Snarls and howls shattered the silence, the clang of metal and roar of monsters echoing in the heroes’ ears. 

<><><>

Twilight knew something was wrong, but never in a million years would he have imagined Wild would go sheet white and nearly fall to his knees. “Whoa, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked. Wild just shook his head frantically. His eyes were wide and he was trembling like a leaf. 

Twilight frowned. “...what’s that sound?” he asked. It was a mechanical whirring, followed by the sounds of thudding feet. 

<><><>

Wild was gasping in panic now. He swiped desperately at his Sheikah Slate, pulling out his Hylian Shield and the Master Sword— _ fuck,  _ he didin’t have any Ancient Arrows—

He realized that no one else knew what was going on. He whirled on them but the words evaded him. His fingers couldn’t form the right signs, the words on his tongue unable to pass his lips. 

_ Beep, beep, beep.  _

His eyes flared at the sound of a targeting laser locking onto someone. 

That someone was Wind. 

He didn’t turn around to see where the Guardian was. Wild already knew where it was. He pulled the Hylian Shield in front of his chest with shaking arms. His legs felt as solid as water underneath him, but they carried him in front of the younger hero all the same. Wild felt the laser lock onto him as soon as he stepped in line of the Guardian’s eye; he quelled the surge of fear that came with it. His scars burned—they always did when he fought Guardians. 

He tried not to think about how close Fort Hateno was. 

Somehow all the sounds around him disappeared. There was only the rapid beep of the laser until a definitive  _ click.  _

Wild braced his arm and swung to parry the beam of white-hot energy, but his timing was off. Instead of shooting back at the Guardian it bounced off his shield into the hillside—thankfully away from the others. Wild stumbled into Wind and that was when he caught sight of the second Guardian, drawn by the sound of conflict. 

Just about every curse Wild knew filled his thoughts. The others were gathered in a protective circle, shouting things that Wild couldn’t focus on. Their weapons were drawn and they all looked positively terrified. 

_ Hylia, no,  _ Wild thought. He wouldn’t fail anyone again. He  _ couldn’t  _ fail anyone again. 

Wild shot an arrow into the eye of the Guardian closest to him and it flinched back, stunned for the moment. He unsheathed the Master Sword and hacked off two of the Guardian’s legs before it recovered. It targeted him again, and Wild responded with another arrow in the eye. He needed to get to the other Guardian, before someone got hurt. 

A targeting laser locked onto his chest, but it wasn’t from either of the Guardians. He looked up to see a  _ third  _ Guardian, pulling itself up from a ledge. 

_ Shit.  _

This was not good. How had he forgotten there were  _ Guardians _ here? 

Wild lifted the Hylian Shield, and this time he performed the perfect parry. Time around him slowed for just a moment, and Wild let himself focus on the battle...save for one detail. 

He whipped around to the other Heroes of Courage. Two of the Guardians were locked onto them. 

“RUN!” Wild screamed. His ragged, garbled word tore through the chaos.

Wars was the first to move. He dragged Four and Hyrule behind him, and the others began to follow. Twilight shouted something at him, but Time was pulling him back. The Old Man was stronger than he looked if he could keep the ranch hand at bay. 

Wild drew the attention of all three Guardians away from the other heroes. He was still shaking, still terrified, but at least the others were going to be alright for the moment. Only now Wild had three Guardians targeting him. 

The one on the left fired first. Wild parried, and the Guardian stumbled backwards. 

The one on the right fired next. He spun around just in time to bring his shield up, but the impact knocked him to the ground. 

The one in the middle, the third one, fired as he was on the ground. 

Wild rolled, because that was the only thing he could do. The laser missed by inches, and the heat was so extreme that the ends of his hair singed and his clothes caught fire. 

He scrambled to his feet, the air filled with the sounds of the Guardians targeting him again. He’d never fought this many Guardian Stalkers at once before.  Well...he had, not far from here, but it didn’t exactly end well for Wild. 

He parried another shot and narrowly dodged two more. He fired an electric arrow into the eye of one Guardian and a bomb arrow into the eye of another. The first Guardian that showed up was almost finished; the other two were still going strong. 

The next few minutes felt like eternity as he performed a deadly dance with the massive machines. Parry, dodge, fire an arrow, repeat. It didn’t matter if he got hit. All Wild knew was that if he failed here, it would be like 100 years ago all over again.

<><><>

Twilight fought their retreat every step of the way. He dug his heels in and strained against Time like a toddler, just desperate to get back to Wild. He didn’t understand why they were leaving him. There were  _ three  _ of those laser-spewing things, and they were just going to leave Wild to fight them alone? It didn’t make sense. This isn’t what a Hero did. 

Sheets of rain pounded against Twilight’s head and shoulders relentlessly. Mud was splattered over all of them, and a numbing cold had set into the heroes. Twilight could care less. His Cub was fighting all alone out there, and he was helpless to do anything about it. 

Eventually Twilight went limp. “Why?” he asked in a broken whisper. He didn’t think anyone would hear over the rain, but Time surprised him with an answer. “Pup, none of us know how to fight those things except for Wild. We would only be a distraction. And…” Time paused. “Wild hasn’t spoken a word to us since we first met him. I thought he  _ couldn’t  _ speak. And then those things show up and Wild  _ screams  _ at us to get out of there.” 

“So, I thought it might be a good idea to listen,” Time finished. 

“And if he can’t fight those things on his own?” Twilight asked, his voice a deadly quiet. 

Time didn’t reply. 

<><><>

Wild stumbled back from the husk of the last Guardian. His knees gave out, and he fell to the muddy ground.  _ Hylia,  _ he was exhausted. 

A bokoblin horn wailed through the air. Wild’s head jerked toward the sound. Why… 

The others. They’d found a monster camp. 

Wild heaved himself to his feet. Sheathing the Master Sword, he forced his trembling limbs into a run toward the sounds of battle. 

<><><>

Warriors turned with his weapon raised, expecting to find another monster. Instead he found Wild, burnt and muddied, looking dead on his feet. 

“ _ Hylia,  _ Wild,” Wars swore, sheathing his sword and striding over to him. His hands hovered over the hero, not sure what to do. Wild’s eyes roved the battlefield with fervish intensity. 

He knew that look. 

It was the look his men got when they’d spent too long fighting, when they slipped into a place where all they could do was  _ fight, fight, fight.  _ They forgot that their bodies had limits and ignored any pain or exhaustion. It was the look his men got when they were on the brink of cracking under the pressure. 

“Hey,” Warriors said, gently taking Wild’s wrists and pulling both of them down to the ground. Wild’s attention snapped to him, tensing as if he were a threat, but Wars murmured assurances until he sank to the ground. 

“It’s alright,” he said softly. “The fighting’s over; you can stop now.” 

He could hear the others gathering behind him. Well, that was fine, it didn’t seem Wild was very lucid now. The younger’s eyes were gazing emptily at Warriors, though he could tell Wild was trying to focus. 

“It’s alright,” Warriors repeated.

It was as if all his strings had been cut. Wild slumped forward into Wars, and he grunted underneath the sudden weight. He awkwardly patted Wild’s side, which was warm and wet. 

Warriors frowned. He peered over Wild’s shoulder to examine his hand. 

It was stained red. 

<><><>

Wild’s eyes fluttered open to the sight of sunlight filtering through the open doorway of a stable. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and let out a quiet groan. 

“Guys, he’s awake.” 

He couldn’t tell who’s voice it was—the words sounded muffled, as though he was hearing it through a wall. 

A hand waved over his face. “Can you hear me?” A face entered his line of vision .  Hyrule. Wild gave a mute nod. “How are you feeling?” 

He attempted a one-shoulder shrug, which resulted in a searing pain from his side. He winced. 

“Here, drink this,” Hyrule said, and then a red potion was being shoved down his throat. Despite the unpleasant taste, the pain in his side eased and Wild sat up. His shirt had been replaced with bandages, which weren’t terribly soaked through with blood. Wild had been lucky that Guardian laser had missed his stomach. 

The other Links shared a meaningful glance. “I’ll go first,” Warriors said with a sigh. “What in Hylia’s name  _ were  _ those spider things?” 

Wild swallowed.  _ ‘G-U-A-R-D-I-A _ —’ 

“We know you can talk,” Legend interrupted. Wild’s eyes flared. When...oh, right, when he’d screamed at them to get out of there. His hand rubbed weakly at his throat, pressing against thick scar tissue. 

“I…” he rasped, wincing at the pain that flared in his throat. “N-no talk… good…” 

That sentence was one of the few he knew how to say. The Old Man—no, King Rhoam’s spirit—had seemed satisfied enough with what Wild remembered of the Hylian sign language, so he didn’t really bother to teach Wild how to speak. 

However, Wild had found out quickly after leaving the Great Plateau that almost everyone remaining in Hyrule did not know Hylian sign. 

Wild coughed and hung his head. His face burned in shame. He was such a failure that he couldn’t even  _ talk  _ properly. 

“Hey, that’s alright. You don’t need to speak,” Sky said kindly with a sharp glance at Legend. Wild let out a shaky breath and nodded. He lifted his hands to sign and tried to ignore how they shook.  _ ‘G-U-A-R-D-I-A-N-S. Shouldn’t be active anymore, I thought _ —’

He cut himself off. His stomach felt like it fell through the floor as he realized something. Guardians  _ shouldn’t  _ be active. They were powered by Malice, and that had disappeared with Ganon’s demise. ...Or at least, it  _ should  _ have disappeared. And the Blood Moon, that was also supposed to be Calamity Ganon’s doing. Really, it could only mean one thing, and it made Wild sick. 

_ Ganon wasn’t gone.  _

He had failed a  _ second  _ time, and even after a hundred years, he couldn’t seal Ganon correctly. His hands curled into fists in the sheets and panic frazzled his thoughts. They flitted to Zelda—was Zelda alright? He needed to talk to her. 

“... _ Wild.”  _

He snapped back to attention. 

Time sighed. “You’re obviously not in the right state to have this conversation. We can talk later; now, who is making breakfast?” 

Wild frowned. That was an odd question, he was obviously going to cook. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed in a swift motion and was immediately hit with vertigo. Wild tried to put weight on his legs, but they buckled before he could properly get off the bed. “Whoa!” Hyrule said, lunging forward to catch Wild before he could hit the ground. 

_...ow,  _ he thought distantly before blacking out. 

<><><>

Sky stared at the familiar sheath lying next to a sleeping Wild. His hands itched to touch it, to see how the Fi of Wild’s era was doing. But he didn’t dare invade Wild’s privacy. They’d been with the hero for a few weeks now, and it hadn’t escaped Sky’s attention how little he shared about his journey. They knew that something called the Calamity had ravaged Wild’s Hyrule—and about a Champion named Mipha who gifted Wild with Mipha’s Grace—but other than that, Wild hadn’t shared anything significant. It made Sky wonder just what happened to make the hero so reclusive and withdrawn. 

Wild shifted in his sleep, letting out a small noise of discomfort. Sky gently pulled the blankets back over him, and the younger burrowed deeper into the bed like a small child. That was another thing about Wild: he was a mess of contradictions. At times, Wild seemed almost ancient, with tired, knowing eyes, and other times Wild acted younger than Wind. 

Wild was fine with touching others but didn’t like others touching him.  _ That  _ was something the Chain had figured out the hard way. 

The Master Sword caught Sky’s eye again. He had been shocked when Wild showed up with the sword in hand. As far as he knew, everyone else had put the blade back after their quest was done. 

He couldn’t resist his curiosity any longer. Sky reached out and  quietly lifted the Master Sword into his lap. The sheath was cool in his palm, and he took a moment to study the gold-and-purple markings. Reverently, Sky slid Fi out, and came upon a shocking sight—or rather, sensation. 

This Fi was  _ ancient.  _

He could feel her, but she was weaker, older. Just how far down the timeline  _ was  _ Wild? 

Sky studied the blade itself. While she still shined, she was blemished with scratches and nicked edges.  _ Nothing  _ like what the Master Sword used to be when he first forged her. It made Sky sad, but he supposed he could get an explanation from Fi. 

“Hello, Master,” Fi’s voice whispered in his head. “It is good to see you.” 

It hurt more than expected to hear her so... _ tired.  _ He did his best to stay cheerful, however. “Hello, Fi,” he replied aloud. “I...was wondering if you could maybe tell me something.” Fi chimed once to tell him to continue. He fidgeted nervously.  _ I’m overstepping my bounds,  _ he thought uncomfortably with a glance at Wild. 

“Can you tell me why you’re so...like this?” he whispered. 

Fi was silent for a terrifyingly long moment. “It is both a combination of being millenia older and the fall of one of my Masters. I have not been able to properly serve the Hero of the Wilds, and that is my eternal regret,” she eventually replied. “Unfortunately, if you have any questions about my most recent Master I cannot answer them. It is an 80% probability that he will react in an unfortunate manner that will most certainly prevent you from succeeding in becoming a functioning team.” 

“...Oh,” he said softly. This only piqued his curiosity.  _ What is it with Wild?  _ He thought. 

Fi chimed once more before falling silent. Sky sighed, sheathing the blade but choosing to keep it in his lap. He looked up to check on Wild again, only to see him  _ very  _ alert, and  _ very  _ alarmed to see Sky holding his weapon. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there ya go.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I really enjoy reading your comments, so don't be shy! Kudos are also appreciated :)
> 
> We'll see how long this ends up being. I have a lot of ideas for it, and so, it will...probably...end up having a pretty good amount of chapters.


	2. Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wild is struck with a memory, and it leads to the others wanting answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is a on the shorter side but it's also on the angstier side. I'm pretty happy with everything but the jarringly abrupt ending, but, that's going to stay there because my mind is blanking out on a better ending hehe. 
> 
> *Checks kudos count*   
> Oh, wow, thank you all so much! It's only been a couple days since this was posted and we're already over 100 kudos!

“I can explain,” Sky blurted, but all Wild could do was stare at the Master Sword in his hands. The sword had been  _ speaking  _ to Sky. His breathing came out in sharp, painful gasps. 

_ “Legend says that an ancient voice resonates inside it...can you hear it yet, hero?”  _

The most he had ever gotten from the Master Sword was the suggestion of a particular feeling, or a warning chime. He’d never heard  _ words,  _ not like—like—

“I forged Fi, so my connection with her is one of the strongest,” Sky said. He cautiously held out the blade for Wild to take. He did so, but it felt too big in his hands. Somehow, irrationally, he felt... _ betrayed.  _

No, no, that wasn’t it. He felt like it was a slap in the face to remind him just how much of a failure he was. Every day he learned something new about these heroes, and  _ every day _ he was reminded how they succeeded and he didn’t. 

It was out of sheer will that Wild held back the angry tears burning his eyes. 

“Your era’s Fi is much…” Sky paused, searching for a word. “...Quieter,” he finally settled on, but they both knew the hidden meaning in that word. 

_ Weaker.  _ Just like Wild. 

A tense silence fell between them. Wild kept his eyes glued to the Master Sword to avoid eye contact. He pressed his thumb against the raised gold pattern on the sheath, and an overwhelming sense of déjà vu hit him. He froze, barely able to brace himself for the memory before the rest of the world was blocked out. 

<><><>

Sky felt awful when he saw the expression on Wild’s face. He didn’t try to talk again, but when he snuck a glance at the other hero a spark of concern fluttered through him. Wild was staring at Fi with the oddest blank expression. 

“Uh, Wild?” he whispered. No response. 

“Is something wrong with him?” 

Sky startled at Wind’s sudden appearance. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “He just...shut down.” Wind frowned, a thoughtful twist to his lips. Then he crept forward, extending one hand. “Wait!” hissed Sky. “Don’t—” 

But nothing happened when Wind jabbed Wild’s shoulder. “...huh,” he murmured. Wind sat down next to Wild, touching shoulder-to-shoulder with the hero. The only person that could get  _ that  _ close with Wild was Twilight, and even then Wild was a little uncomfortable. Wind waved a hand in in front of Wild’s nose, and  _ still,  _ nothing happened. 

Wind and Sky locked eyes, a tendril of dread twisting its way through Sky. “I’ll get Time,” he said. 

<><><>

_ Link held the heavy sword in his lap and stubbornly refused to look up. His small hands tightened around the sheath, though they could barely fit around it. There were voices yelling all around him, and it was too loud, all too loud.  _

_ But Daddy said to be strong. Strong for his baby sister, strong for Mommy, strong for his kingdom. So he bit his lip and held back the tears aching to dribble down his cheeks.  _

_“You can’t take my son!” Mommy shrieked from where she stood in front of him. “He’s just a child! You can’t possibly—”_ _A sharp_ crack _sliced through the air, and a heavy silence followed. Link squeezed his eyes shut even as a small whimper escaped him. He wanted to run over to Mommy and protect her from the mean soldiers. He wanted to, so badly, but hadn’t Daddy said to stay there?_

_ “Linky, what’s going on?” A small, trembling voice whispered from beside him. He felt her pudgy toddler hands grasp the edge of his sleeve and tug. “Why are the bad men hurting Mommy?” He looked down to see her begin to cry. _

_ “Aryll, hush, you’re not supposed to be down here,” he whispered. “Go back upstairs.” But Aryll only started to cry harder, loud enough that it caught the attention of the soldiers. “Get that child out of here,” one of them barked. “Yes, Sir,” said Daddy, picking up Aryll. That was when she decided to scream at the top of her lungs, kicking and thrashing.  _

_ “Don’t hurt my brother!” she screamed. Link could barely understand with her childish lisp contorting each word. Daddy apologized to the soldiers over her shrieking, and carried her upstairs to lock her in Link and Aryll’s shared room. Her cries quieted some, but Link could still hear it, muffled as it was.  _

_ He couldn’t stop the single tear that escaped. _

_ The same soldier that ordered Aryll out spoke. “Now, Ma’am, if you would move aside. We are on the King’s orders to collect young Link for further training and appointment on the Royal Guard.”  _

_ Link dared to look up at the man. He had a cold face, and wore a special uniform different from the soldiers around him. Link recognized him—the Captain of the Royal Guard.  _

_ “You can’t take him,” Mommy said desperately, but Daddy whispered something in her ear and she slumped. The Captain took this as an opportunity to walk past her and stand in front of Link.  _

_ “Look at me, boy,” he ordered. Link swallowed, not wanting to leave the comfortable view of the sword in his hands. That way, maybe none of this was real and it was all a bad dream.  _

_ But Daddy also said to obey, so Link looked up, and hoped the Captain couldn’t see the tears threatening to burst from him.  _

_ The Captain’s face could have been cut from stone as he stared down his nose at the little boy in front of him.  _

_ “Follow me.”  _

_ He spun on his heel, walking out the door with his men falling into step behind. Nervously, heart in his throat, Link slipped off his chair. He let out a soft grunt when the sword yanked on his arms; it was as large as him, after all.  _

_ He looked to his parents, Mommy with tears in her eyes and Daddy with a carefully crafted resigned expression. Mommy knelt down in front of him, placing a hand on his cheek and wiping away the single tear. “Be strong, my little Farosh,” she whispered. “I know you will do amazing things.”  _

_ He attempted to put on a brave smile, but it came out wobbly. His heart hurt so much, his stomach was a knot of nerves, and his head couldn’t wrap itself around what was happening.  _

_ He looked to his father.  _

_ “Remember what I told you,” Daddy said. “Now go, and make me proud.”  _

_ Link took a deep breath and nodded shallowly.  _

_ When he crossed the threshold to the doorway, his stomach churned and a terrible emptiness filled the gap that had just been torn from his heart. He shut his eyes for a moment to steady himself. Then he took hesitant steps forward to where the soldier’s horses whinnied and towered over him. One of the soldiers lifted him into the saddles, and suddenly the ground was much farther from his body.  _

_ The horse was kicked into motion, trotting in line with the other soldiers. With each jostling step of the creature, the urge to cry became stronger. Link twisted in his saddle to look one last time at his home.  _

_ In the upstairs window, a young girl’s face was pressed against the glass, tears streaming down her face. Her hand came up and pushed on the pane, outlined in the flickering lamplight.  _

_ Link raised his own hand in farewell, before turning around and stowing away his tears with the last of his resolve. He couldn’t afford to look back anymore.  _

<><><>

“Is he alright?” Time asked a worried Sky. The Chosen Hero shrugged tightly, looking at Wild, who was beginning to tremble. “Does he  _ look  _ alright?” Sky asked. 

“It could be hallucinations,” Legend suggested from where he was forcing down a lunch made by Hyrule. He was already looking a little green, and Time saw him not-so-subtly dump his portion onto Warriors’ plate. “It’s possible,” Hyrule said, oblivious to Warriors’ horrified expression. “Could be a result of his injury.” 

“...Do you think he’s in pain?” Twilight asked quietly. He was right next to Wild, hovering but not quite touching. The other hero was mouthing words now, trembling harder. “I really hope not,” Time replied. He rubbed his forehead. Wild continued to baffle him. A wildcard, that one. He’d already proven to be a handful, and now  _ this _ —

Wild’s eyes flew open, startling both Wind and Twilight who were next to him. His eyes were unfocused, still stuck in whatever Wild had been trapped in before. He stumbled off the bed and lurched outside, falling harshly to his knees in the dirt. Time could hear the kid’s choked gasps, could see how hard he was shaking. 

Twilight knelt down next to Wild, gently rubbing circles into his back, murmuring, “It’s alright, Cub, it’s gonna be okay,” over and over in a soothing voice. Eventually, Wild calmed down and his eyes finally focused on the world around him. 

Unfortunately, that was what made him panic again. 

Time could only watch in dismay as Wild’s eyes flared and he scrambled away from Twilight’s touch. “No, Cub calm down—” Twilight began, but Wild just gave a pitiful gasp and dragged himself farther away. Hylia, the kid was injured, and they were only making things worse. 

Time strode over to Wild and knelt down next to him. Wild, rather than pulling himself away like he did with Twilight, went stiffer than a tree. Time tried to make his expression soften so he didn’t stress out the hero further. 

“Wild, I need you to calm down,” he said. “This episode isn’t helping anyone, and you’re hurting yourself. Let’s go back inside and get you a red potion. Then we can talk about this.” 

Wild began to shake his head, but Time made his face a stone mask and looked down his nose at the hero. It was the expression that usually won his arguments, but Wild flinched and went sheet white. 

That made Time feel pretty awful, but he still needed to get Wild inside. He muttered a small apology and picked Wild up, cradling the boy to his chest. Twilight was right—the kid was absurdly light. Wild shivered against Time’s threadbare shirt, weakly grasping the fabric. As Time leaned down to lay Wild out on the bed, he could have sworn he heard the faintest garbled whisper of “sorry” in his ear. 

<><><>

Wild woke up to the bitter aftertaste of red potion in his mouth and a dull pain in his side. 

He didn’t want to open his eyes. He didn’t want to be there with the others. He wanted Zelda, to ask her about his family, about his  _ sister _ —Hylia, he used to have a sister—

He took a deep breath and forcibly boxed his roiling feelings away. He would...deal with them later. 

There was something he  _ couldn’t  _ ignore, however. Wild sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position. He was pleased to find that his side didn’t hurt that badly, but that pleasure was quickly swept away by fear when the murmured conversation in the room came to an abrupt halt. For what seemed like forever, all Wild could bring himself to do was stare with terrified eyes at the other Heroes of Courage. 

Then he nervously waved and gave a small—if slightly cheeky—smile in an effort to ease the tension. 

Twilight gave a shaky breath and dropped his face into his hands. Legend raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Wild as Wind asked: “What  _ was  _ that?” 

Wild grimaced and his stomach twisted painfully. What did he expect? Of course they wanted answers. Wild rubbed the back of his neck, not really sure what to share. 

_ ‘It was a…’  _ He paused, hands feeling like lead with the admission. He didn’t want to tell them, but they deserved an answer, didn’t they?  _ ‘It was a memory,’  _ he signed. 

“A...memory?” Sky asked. 

He pushed away the flash of fear that tore through him. He could trust them, he could help them understand…

_ ‘I am a—’  _ He halted his hands. He didn’t remember the sign for that word…  _ ‘A-M-N-E-S-I-A-C,’  _ he fingerspelled. 

“Amnesiac?” Twilight asked. “But that means…” His eyes widened. 

“So you don’t remember stuff?” Wind asked. Wild shook his head slowly. Goddesses, he  _ hated _ the pity on their faces. He hated how his face burned with an angry shame. He hated that he failed. He was filled with such bitterness that he almost missed Warriors’ question. 

“How did you lose your memories in the first place?” 

His boiling blood went ice cold in an instant. No. He couldn’t answer that question, not without everything falling apart and everyone hating him and  _ Hylia,  _ he really needed Zelda—

“It’s okay, you don’t have to answer that,” Sky said, seeing his panic. Wild relaxed slightly, giving a brief but grateful glance to Sky. The Chosen Hero nodded.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how much do you not remember?” Time asked. Wild looked down. 

_ ‘Too much,’  _ he replied.

****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I did warn you about the abrupt ending. And I almost made myself cry with the nickname "little Farosh" for Wild T_T it's just so perfect and sad...
> 
> Your comments were amazing on the last chapter, tysm! (I feel like I say that a lot but it is true) 
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated!


	3. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D  
> This is the One.  
> I have been wanting to write this chapter since I posted the first chapter of The Untamed Hero. I wish I could say that I spent forever trying to edit and make it perfect, but I didn't. I read it over once after spending days writing it and decided it was good enough. Because I can't edit.  
> But that's alright, because I'm relatively happy with how it turned out! And I am so happy to be finally posting it. Enjoy!!!
> 
> CW: There are some traumatizing memories in there, so, careful.

_ ‘I want to go to H-A-T-E-N-O.’  _

“You’re still injured, Wild,” Time replied without pausing the stone he was scraping along his blade. Wild took a moment to recall the name—right, a whetstone. Four said it was for sharpening blades. 

_ ‘It’s not far,’  _ he protested.  _ ‘We could get there in two days, on horseback.’  _

“We don’t have any horses with us, though,” Time said with a confused frown. Wild grinned and hopped off the bed, knees nearly buckling, but he refused to fall. Time needed to know he was strong enough to travel.  _ ‘Who says that?’  _ he asked with a twinkle in his eye. 

<><><>

“I still can’t believe you have  _ nine horses,  _ Wild,” Hyrule remarked as he patted his chestnut mare’s neck. Wild gave a one-shoulder shrug.  _ ‘Used to have ten, but gave it to Zelda,’  _ he signed with Araal’s reigns in one hand. He decided that he would handle the massive orange-maned horse, and gave Epona to Twilight, with his other wild horses to the rest of the heroes. As he pulled Araal out of the stable’s shade, Twilight’s jaw dropped. 

“Uh...Wild.” 

He raised his eyebrow in question. 

“That—that horse is at least three times Epona’s size,” Twilight said, his jaw still slack. Wild gave a one-shoulder shrug and continued to lead Araal forward. He patted Arrow’s snout as he passed by. The soft cream horse was one of his more skittish; his previous bokoblin owner hadn’t been kind. Wild had given Arrow to Wind—the two seemed suited for one another, both as fluid as Wind’s namesake. 

“How are you going to get on?” Hyrule asked. “Here, I can get a stool or…” He trailed off as Wild swung himself around Araal’s neck and lithely landed in the saddle. He hid a wince at the pain that spiked through his side and gave a brave smile to everyone. He nudged Araal into a slow trot, the others filing in behind him.

Wild took a steadying breath and braced himself for the sight of the ancient battlefield. His ears twitched nervously as he heard the previously cheery conversations die out to silence. 

The path was knobbled and washed out after years of rain. Shallow puddles glinted in the early morning sun. Wild kept his eyes on the ruined path, knowing that if he glanced to his right he would see a shimmering grassland broken up by wide-boughed apple trees. And scattered throughout would be the ruins, husks of Guardians long killed. Faintly he could hear the screeching of bokoblins from the camp nearby. Wild wondered if he should go take care of it, but they weren’t bothering anyone. What was the point, if the Blood Moon was just going to revive them? 

Wild startled at Twilight clearing his throat. “Are these Guardians?” he asked. Wild’s shoulders scrunched up to his ears and he signed a quick  _ ‘yes’  _ over his shoulder. “Are they...dangerous?” 

_ ‘No.’  _ It was the most he could bring himself to answer.

“They sure look creepy,” Wind remarked. In his mind, Wild imagined the sailor shuddering. 

His eyes betrayed him and glanced to the left. He blanched as the sight of a pond tucked in between ruins, a hill crowned in flowers and the whole thing filled with Guardians. Wild flinched, the memory slamming into him with the force of a Lynel. 

<><><>

_ He panted heavily, forcing himself back to his feet. He stumbled back. Pain, oh goddesses—pain like he had never felt before. His blood made his grip on the Master Sword more than questionable, and it dripped into his eyes to blur his black-spotted vision. A constant ringing in his ears—screams? But...those had stopped too long ago. Pure agony filled the entirety of him, and he just wanted to stop then and there.  _

_ But he couldn’t.  _

_ “Link!”  _

_ Zelda’s voice was shrill and terrified. Determined, he lifted the Master Sword. It had never felt this heavy before.  _

<><><>

He ripped himself out of that hellish nightmare, digging his nails into the soft skin of his inner forearm and grounding himself in the pain. Wild forced his erratic breathing to calm and shoved away the claws of terror gripping him. 

He  _ hated  _ that memory. 

Then again, who wanted to know—and  _ relive _ —how you died? 

<><><>

After dealing with several bokoblins and saving Nat and Meghyn, Wild was finally in Hateno. 

The kids raced across the path, giggling and shrieking. They barely spared a glance to the strange party of nine, but the rest of the villagers certainly made up for it with suspicious glares and not-so-discreet whispers.  _ Especially  _ the notorious gossipers Nikki and Amira. 

Nervously, Wild handed off Araal to Manny, who looked more than a little overwhelmed with nine horses to find space for. 

_ ‘I have a house, over there,’  _ Wild signed, gesturing to the path leading up the hill. Legend choked on the water he was drinking from a canteen. “You have a  _ house?”  _ he asked incredulously. Wild gave a half-hearted nod. 

“Well what did you expect?” Sky asked, adjusting the Sailcloth around his shoulders. “Wild has to have some kind of home.” 

Legend made a face. “Are you sure? I was almost certain he lived under a bush until now.” 

Wild smirked, though his back was turned to the other heroes. His attention was pulled to the smoke drifting from atop a hill. Blue flames flickered, barely visible in the daylight, but they led an inviting path upwards nonetheless. 

...Maybe he should visit Purah. 

At the thought, a strong urge to go right then and there burst through him. Wild blinked. Sure, he had plenty of strange impulses (like how he decided to eat rocks, put bugs in his cooking, jump off an excessive amount of cliffs, etc), and Purah was fun, but she wasn’t  _ that  _ fun. 

Then the faintest sense of a brilliant sun brushing against his mind caught his attention, and Wild just  _ knew.  _

_ ‘Change of plans, we’re going to Purah’s,’  _ he signed, grabbing Twilight’s hand and practically  _ dragging  _ the hero behind him. The rest followed him with confused questions that he couldn’t focus on enough to answer.  _ She’s here, she’s here,  _ rang through his head victoriously. His heart sang with anticipation. 

They couldn’t get up the hill fast enough. 

But then they were at the top, the massive windmill casting an x-shaped shadow over them. Wild’s breathing came out in short puffs, and he wasn’t sure if it was the anticipation or longing or nervousness that was causing it. 

The door opened, revealing a crown of golden braids, a vibrant blue tunic, and emerald green eyes that were wide with shock. 

_ Zelda.  _

For a moment, all they could do was stare at each other. 

Then Wild took a lurching step forward, then another and another until he ran into her arms, Zelda meeting him halfway in her own run. “Zelda,” he croaked, hands tangled in her long hair. Zelda practically collapsed in his arms, holding onto him as if she didn’t think he was real. He managed to focus on what she was saying. 

“—I thought you were dead, you idiot!” 

He gave a breathy laugh, pulling back a little to finally get a good look at her. She looked haggard, as if the last few weeks had taken a toll on her. They probably had, and the thought made his stomach sour with guilt. He was about to apologize when Zelda pulled him into a hug, a real  _ proper  _ hug this time. 

“I am so, so grateful you are alive,” she whispered in his ear. “Welcome back home, Link.” 

Oh, Hylia, he had no idea how much he had missed Zelda until now. 

Zelda finally noticed the others behind him, who Wild realized were awkwardly hanging off to the side of their reunion. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Zelda said, pulling away from Wild. He noticed with some satisfaction that she kept an arm looped through his. “You are Link’s...companions?” She stumbled on the last word. He glanced at Zelda, but she just raised her eyebrow. “I can not name a single time you willingly traveled with someone else,” she said. “You must forgive me when I’m a little surprised to see you bring  _ eight strangers  _ to me after disappearing for weeks.” 

Wild rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.  _ ‘Sorry,’  _ he signed. Zelda seemed exasperated at the apology. 

“Yes, we’re Wild’s companions,” Time spoke up. He glanced curiously at his and Zelda’s linked arms. “I take it you’re Wild’s Zelda?” 

“Wild’s…?” Zelda asked under her breath, but she smiled and nodded generously. “Yes, I am Zelda.” Her sharp gaze took in each of the Heroes of Courage. “You’re more important than you look,” she stated simply. 

Time blinked. “Well…” he sighed. “We’ve got a lot of explaining to do.” 

<><><>

Zelda sat in Purah’s Lab, enraptured as the Hero of Time (a true Hero of the past, right in front of her!) wove an intricate tale of travel across time and space, a quest gifted by Hylia herself, and how each of them were Heroes of Courage. 

It was  _ fascinating.  _

But as much as Zelda itched to learn more, she began to truly  _ think  _ about it. Black blooded monsters...Zelda frowned. Weren’t their monsters always black blooded? 

“Excuse the interruption, but you said the infected, stronger monsters had black blood, correct?” Zelda asked. 

The Hero of Warriors nodded from where he was reclined in a chair. “It’s how we’ve been tracking them,” he said. “Following the reports of black blood and strong monsters, all that.” 

“Yes,” Zelda said slowly, narrowing her gaze at the Hero. His flippant attitude irked her for an irrational reason. “The only issue with that is that our monsters are naturally black-blooded.” 

She expected some kind of shock from the Heroes of Courage, but they just stared at her blankly, Link included. Zelda gave an exasperated sigh. “Link, you cannot possibly have missed the color of the monster’s blood.” 

He crossed his arms and frowned at her. The image was so startlingly childish, Zelda almost laughed. 

_ ‘The blood is just dark,’  _ Link signed. 

As much as Zelda loved her Knight, sometimes he could be a bit of an idiot. 

“When you were fighting those infected monsters in the other Hyrules—” She took a moment to let the excited thrill at the term sink in “—did you notice a difference in the color of the blood?” 

Wild’s brows drew together as he tried to think. Then he blinked in surprise. 

“So you see, I have a question,” Zelda continued. “Is it that your monsters are taking after our own era’s—were our monsters always infected, and it’s somehow spreading—or is it simply coincidence that they share the same color of blood?” 

Silence.

“I—” the Hero of Time began, but he was interrupted by the door to the Lab flinging open to reveal a  _ very  _ angry six-year old. 

“How come you didn’t tell me you had guests?!” Purah shrieked, stomping up to Zelda and setting her pack full of samples on the floor with a hard  _ thump.  _ “Snappity snap, I can’t believe—” 

She cut herself off when she caught sight of Link. 

“Linky!” she cried, hopping up onto a chair. She poked Zelda’s Knight hard in the chest. “Snap, you’re alive!” 

She turned to the rest of the Heroes crowding her Lab. “ _ And  _ you brought  _ friends!  _ I didn’t know you had any!” 

Link made a face and poked Purah back. Purah giggled, her bright red glasses slipping down her small nose. “Oh, I’m just  _ kidding, _ ” she laughed. 

“But seriously. Who are these guys?” she asked, casting sharp eyes at the crowd. “Did they come to see the one and only Purah, the wonder worker scientist, director of the Ancient Hateno Tech Lab?” 

One—the Hero of Legend—narrowed his eyes at the Sheikah girl with an unimpressed look. 

“So we’re supposed to believe that a toddler is a scientist?” His voice was absolutely  _ dripping  _ with sarcasm, giving even Revali a run for his rupees. 

_ Revali, who is dead.  _

The thought blotted her mind like an ink stain. Her chest filled with a terrible ache she had been trying to shove away for too long now. But they had guests, and now was not the time. So Zelda boxed away her tears and returned to the conversation, giving introductions to everyone and explaining Purah’s unusual situation. There was a curious reaction from the Hero of Time when he heard of her reverse aging, a deep shadow passing through his expression. 

Then when Purah kicked them out of the Lab so she could run tests on the samples Zelda had sent her to get, they were heading to Link’s house in Hateno. 

Link led the group down the hill, but she could tell by the slope of his shoulders and the fidgeting of his hands that he was nervous. Zelda quickened her step to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “Nervous?” she asked despite already knowing the answer. Link nodded with a glance back at the others. 

_ ‘There are a lot of secrets hidden there,’  _ he signed, with small gestures close to his chest so that the others wouldn’t see. 

Zelda tilted her head. “You haven’t told them anything?” she asked. That made no logical sense; what happened when something triggered a memory? Why would he deliberately leave room for misunderstanding Link’s actions and mannerisms? 

Link rubbed the back of his neck.  _ ‘I don’t think they’re ready to hear it,’  _ he signed. Zelda scoffed. “No,  _ you  _ aren’t ready to tell  _ them.  _ Am I correct?” 

A hesitant, meek nod. 

“Link,” she said, trying to soften her tone. “These are your fellow Heroes of Courage. Your literal  _ incarnations.  _ If anything, they would understand more than anyone.” 

_ ‘Or they won’t, and their rejection will be even worse.’  _

Zelda sighed. She wouldn’t be able to change his opinion, that much was obvious.  _ He will tell them when he’s ready,  _ she thought.

“Well, what  _ do  _ they know?” 

Link grimaced.  _ ‘They know about the Calamity, but not that it took 100 years to defeat. They know about Mipha’s Grace but not how much I use it. They found out about my memories after I had one a few days ago…’  _ His hands stilled and a look of grief dimmed the spark in his eyes.  _ ‘It didn’t go very well. There were questions that I couldn’t answer and afterwards no one has been able to act the same. Like I’m some fragile bird.’  _

“Do they know about the Champions? How you lost your memories? That you…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Link understood her anyways, something she was grateful for. Her Knight always understood—this used to infuriate her before the Calamity, seeming to only add to how  _ perfect  _ he was. 

Zelda grew to learn that Link was far from perfect, but that only made her love him more. 

_ ‘They know a little bit about Mipha, but not the rest of the Champions. They don’t know...anything else, really.’  _

“Dear Hylia, Link,” she muttered. “Must you always guard your secrets?” 

Link flushed but didn’t deny it. 

They crossed the worn bridge to a quaint house. Flowers dotted the grassy lounge, Bolson and Karson lounged languidly beside Link’s cooking pot, and the pond to the side of the house shimmered in the sunlight. The first time Link brought her here soon after defeating the Calamity, Zelda had been too numb with shock and exhaustion to truly appreciate what Link had created. To truly be  _ shocked  _ at the fact that after a hundred years, Link had found his own family home and saved it. 

Of course, Zelda hadn’t told him that this was his old home. And she wasn’t sure if Link knew. 

<><><>

Twilight was honestly impressed with his Cub. 

The house was old, with sagging supports and faded paint, but it was so obviously  _ Wild’s.  _ Twilight felt himself inevitably falling in love with the charming little home. 

Wild introduced them to Bolson and Karson, then promptly disappeared into the house without inviting them in. 

“Uh,” Legend said. “Are we just supposed to...wait here?” 

His question was answered by Wild poking his head out of the door a few minutes later. He waved and opened the door wider to let everyone in. 

Twilight ducked through the doorway to a dusty, dimly lit room. Wild ran upstairs to open a window and let in more light, and everyone quickly made themselves comfortable. 

What surprised Twilight was how  _ unused _ the space seemed. And the alarming amount of weapons mounted on the walls.

“That’s a cool spear,” Wind said, reaching out towards the weapon on the wall. 

Wild’s Zelda cringed. “I wouldn’t—”

Wild practically  _ flew  _ down the stairs, racing past Twilight in a blur to snatch Wind’s hand away inches before the sailor touched it. Wind yelped as he was dragged away from the spear. 

“—touch that.” Zelda sighed. 

“Link, it’s alright,” she said, gently prying his hands off Wind’s wrists. Twilight marveled at the easy contact between the two. It had taken  _ weeks  _ for Twilight to be able to touch Wild with him being comfortable with it. “Her spear won’t break just by someone touching it.” 

Wild relaxed, letting Wind go with a signed apology. “It’s alright,” Wind replied. “I probably shouldn’t have tried to touch it…” 

“What the hell was that about, anyways?” Legend asked sharply. Wild cringed, ducking his head and grabbing at the edges of his hood. “That spear is very special…” Zelda swallowed as grief shuttered her expression. “To Link especially, he and Mipha were quite close.” 

“ ‘Were?’ ” Four asked, one eyebrow raised in question. 

Zelda’s eyes widened and she turned to Wild. “You didn’t—” She couldn’t seem to finish the sentence. The princess dragged a hand over her face, an exasperated sound escaping her lips. “The Champion Mipha is—dead,” she forced out. 

Everyone’s eyes widened with a new realization. 

“Well, shit,” Legend muttered. 

<><><>

It was after a crowded dinner that Zelda pulled him outside. 

Wild raised his eyebrows in question and leaned against the apple tree near the pond. The night was peaceful, stars twinkling overhead and the moon a blessed, shining white. He blinked, and behind his eyelids the moon’s light darkened to crimson. Wild shuddered and returned his attention to Zelda. 

She sat down in the tall grass, patting the ground next to him. He obliged, and for a calming moment they simply shared each other’s company in comfortable silence. 

“We have a lot to talk about,” Zelda eventually said. Wild sighed.  _ There’s so much to talk about that I don’t want to talk about any of it,  _ he wanted to say.  _ Can’t I have a moment of peace? A few days without a new worry, a new issue, a new Hylia-damned problem for the failed Hero to fix?  _

“The Blood Moon.  _ That  _ is concerning. It shouldn’t be possible with Ganon gone…” 

Her next words hung in the air, unspoken.  _ Unless Ganon  _ isn’t  _ gone.  _

“And this quest from the Goddess Hylia. What are you really doing? Killing the infected monsters, yes, but what good will that do without stopping the flow at the source?” 

She let the question sit as if waiting for an answer. But Wild didn’t have one. What  _ were  _ they doing, aside from being chucked into new eras every so often and mindlessly killing? 

“But besides all that, there’s another matter I want to discuss with you.” Wild turned his head, their gazes finding each other in the dark. 

“Link, are you really okay with doing this?” 

He tilted his head. What did  _ that  _ mean? 

“You were forced into this barely two weeks after we defeated Calamity Ganon. You didn’t have any time to savor a victory or figure out what you wanted to do after this. It’s not—it’s not _fair._ All the other Heroes said it had been years since their journeys. _Years,_ Link. You had two weeks.” 

Zelda sighed when he didn’t respond. “We can talk about this tomorrow,” she decided. “It’s getting rather late, and I believe we’re all in need of a good rest.” 

She stood, brushing off her trousers, and walked back inside. Wild drew his knees to his chest and stared at the moonlight reflecting off the water of the pond. His chest hurt for some reason, and he didn’t know how to make it stop.

What  _ would  _ he do, if he never met the others? After they defeated the Calamity, both he and Zelda couldn’t fully process it. A hundred years of struggle, of ruin and death, finally over. It had been surreal. 

Wild had responded by burying himself into the work of clearing Hyrule of monsters, but that was interrupted when he found the Heroes of Courage walking straight into a moblin camp. But if they never met…

Link would have continued to be Zelda’s Knight and helped build Hyrule up again. He would have done some more exploring, maybe become a cook, he would have…

...he would have built the life he always wanted. 

But in reality, Link didn’t think he could do it. For as long as he could remember he was a Hero. Or, was  _ supposed  _ to be a Hero. And what was a Hero, without a crisis? He was Wild now, anyways, and he had a job to do. 

So he stood up and brushed the grass from his own trousers, and slipped back inside. He would see everyone to bed and then go sleep outside. There wasn’t any room for him, and besides, he liked the wild at night. 

They decided Zelda would take the bed and everyone else would lay out on the floor with their bedrolls. Wild crept up to the loft where Wind and Four were settling down next to Zelda’s bed. 

“I really like your home,” Wind whispered into the quiet house. Wild gave a thin smile. 

This wasn’t his home. Not really. He’d bought this house on an impulse and for a place to stay when he didn’t have anywhere else to go. But Wild had found that he didn’t really  _ want  _ to go to the house. It had an eerie familiarness to it that set Wild on edge.

He moved to go, but Wind whispering his name had him turning back around. “Can you stay?” the sailor asked. “You shouldn’t have to sleep outside while the rest of us take up the space in your house. Please?” 

Wild’s shoulders dropped and he glanced at the sleeping figure of Zelda. If she had nightmares tonight, who would be the one to comfort her? 

_ ‘Okay,’  _ he signed. He curled up in the corner of the loft, pulling his cloak around him like a blanket.

He could rest his eyes for a bit…

<><><>

Wild was startled awake by the sound of a muffled shriek. 

He cracked his eyes open to see Zelda sitting upright with her hands clutching her chest. Her eyes were wide and unfocused from the nightmare she just woke up from. Wild stirred, stretching out the crick in his neck and quietly walked over to wrap Zelda into a hug. 

The princess leaned into his embrace, a shudder running through her. “Thank you, Link,” she whispered. He nodded into her shoulder. 

“I was trapped in the Malice so long…sometimes it feels like I never left. That disgusting,  _ vile  _ creature all around me—” she cut herself off and took a deep breath. 

He tightened his embrace, his heart hurting for her. 

Zelda had fought for a  _ hundred years, _ waiting for him to wake up from that cursed slumber. She kept the beast at bay all on her own. She sacrificed so much, and now that she was finally free, her sleep forced her to relive that horror over and over. 

Something he was all too familiar with, in his own nightmares. Forced to watch villages be run over and destroyed, forced to watch children and mothers scream as Guardians blasted holes through their homes. Back then all he could do was run, keep the princess safe,  _ do not fail,  _ but ultimately it was all for naught. 

He wondered if the Master Sword chose wrong. He was the first Hero to need a second chance. He was the first Hero to let everything slip through his fingers and fall into oblivion. 

He wondered at the princess in his arms. Did he even know her? 

He had precious few memories. There were so many holes that it was simply a gaping chasm where his past life used to be. He hadn’t even known he had a sister or what his father and mother looked like until that memory—

“Z...Zelda,” he whispered. 

She pulled away from him, leaving him shivering without her warmth. “Yes?” she whispered back. 

_ ‘Did I have a family?’  _ he asked. 

She seemed taken aback by the question and floundered for words. “I—well, yes, but I—” 

_ ‘What were they like?’  _ he signed. 

Zelda looked down at her hands curled in her lap. “I honestly don’t know. I was so ignorant then. I only ever met them once, when they visited Castle Town for the Winter Solstice. It…” Zelda swallowed, bringing up one hand to wipe at her eyes. “I remember it not going well. Your father was berating on you for my recent assault by the Yiga. There was a public spectacle and—and…” 

“...My father. He decided to make an example of you with a public whipping.” 

He blanched. A—a whipping? He didn’t remember—

<><><>

_ The soldiers around him jeered as he was led to the raised wooden platform. In total contrast, the townspeople were completely silent. They gazed on at him with a quiet sorrow, remorse and sympathy emanating from them.  _

_ But they did nothing to stop it.  _

_ The soldiers, however, were  _ eager  _ for the whipping. They were tired of the humiliation that came with the fact that the kid that was able to beat them in eleven seconds flat. They wanted to see him whipped for a sick, petty reason.  _

_ Link did not blame them.  _

_ He deserved this punishment. He let the princess get nearly  _ killed  _ by the disgusting Yiga. It was a mistake he would not make again.  _

_ He was forced to his knees on the platform, where they stripped him of his Royal Guard’s tunic. Link set aside the Master Sword as instructed, then let the two leering soldiers by his side shackle his wrists and ankles in place.  _

_ Then he was looking up into the cold face of his old Captain.  _

_ Link couldn’t help but flinch. He’d thought he had moved past this man, had been safe from him. He thought that he would never have to look into those horridly empty eyes again.  _

_ The whip was in the Captain’s hand. It’s steel tip glinted in the sun. The weight of the people’s gazes was unbearable, and suddenly, Link couldn’t breathe. His skin crawled and he stiffened in the effort to keep from trying to run.  _

_ He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want— _

_ Link wasn’t ready for the first strike of the whip. It bit into his exposed flesh with a terrible hunger, and he squeezed his lips shut to keep from screaming.  _

_ Hylia, that hurt.  _

_ His eyes went to the crowd. There, he saw his mother, weeping—weeping like she had when he left home as a child—and his father. His father who looked on with that blank expression, the same expression Link used.  _

_ They locked eyes for a long moment.  _

_ Then the whip sliced into him once more, and Link’s mother cried out, a hand pressed to her chest in anguish. His father’s face hardened in resolve, but Link almost thought he saw a flicker of regret pass his features. He took his mother’s hand and led her away from the platform. Link’s mouth opened to cry out,  _ stay, stay, please,  _ but the iron coil around his neck tightened and no sound came out.  _

_ He couldn’t speak in front of so many people.  _

_ A third strike from the whip. This time it dug deep into his back, and a small whimper escaped Link. He looked up, and high in a balcony he could see King Rhoam staring down his nose at them. Beside the king was Princess Zelda, who looked conflicted as she watched the scene play out.  _

_ He dropped his head and accepted the next blow. He was alone here.  _

<><><>

He jerked out of the memory.

“Link! Oh, Hylia, that was—” 

He was pulled into a hug, and numbly he rested his head against Zelda’s shoulder. He couldn’t—that was—

He hadn’t realized he was crying until pain lanced through his throat when a quiet sob left his lips. “Oh, Link,” the princess murmured. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…” 

Slowly he let out a shuddering breath. 

_ It’s in the past,  _ he thought. His thudding heart calmed some, and he relaxed a little. 

Soft hands ran through his hair, comforting him. “Sleep, my Knight,” she whispered. “We can talk tomorrow.”

_ My Knight.  _

That’s who he was. He was Link. He was Zelda’s Knight, he wasn’t a Hero of Courage or the wielder of the Master Sword, he wasn’t Wild. He was just a knight. He was just  _ hers. _

He marveled at how much the princess has grown since that memory. She was so kind, so  _ brave,  _ now. 

Maybe...maybe that meant he could grow, and redeem himself, as well. 

With that thought in mind, Link fell asleep in Zelda’s arms with the ghost of a smile. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO much for reading!  
> Also, the whole black blood thing? That's going to lead to plot :P 
> 
> Wondering about the weird impulse to go to Purah? Well, I won't go into great depth but to put it bluntly: that's my hc that Zelda can marginally impact Wild's feelings. That's why he believed the Old Man. Zelda through sheer will convinced Wild that he needed to go on this quest, but she didn't need to keep convincing him after he regained his first memory. After that he was hell-bent on getting Zelda free from the beast and saving Hyrule. 
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated~ I know I was kinda mean to Wild this chapter. But hey, Zelda's back!


	4. Champions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While staying at Wild's house, the Chain finds a certain picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back.   
> This one took a while.   
> It--  
> It fought me a lot. It fought me so much that I accidentally added more potential plot. :P   
> Sit back and get comfy, folks, cuz this one is a longer chapter at just over 4k words.

Time woke up to the smell of cinnamon. 

The hero sat up slowly, reluctant to leave his—for once—peaceful sleep. 

The small room underneath the stairs was dark, the dusty wood wrapped around them like a hug. It shaded them from the delicate morning light, but that made it hard to see Twilight and Warriors’ conditions next to him. That constant worried voice in the back of his head whispered to Time that he should check on them, because who  _ knows  _ what could have happened during the night—

He pushed away the voice, assuring himself that the boys were okay. They were in a safe space, and he could afford to relax once in a blue moon. 

Time crept past the perfectly fine sleeping figures of his protègè and the captain, ducking out from the empty door frame. He was greeted with the sight of Wild eating, with Zelda pouring over a book on the table next to him. Both looked terrible, with mussed hair and deep shadows underneath their eyes. He could even make out faint tear tracks on both of their faces. 

It had obviously been a rough night. But Princess Zelda looked up from her book and put on a radiant smile anyways, greeting him with a certain cheeriness that Time couldn’t tell if it was fake or not. 

“Good morning, Princess.” He inclined his head. Zelda nodded, then returned to her book. Time went to where his armor was laid out on the floor, and proceeded to go through the long process of putting it on. His shoulders began their familiar ache as the weight pressed down on them, but it was more comforting than anything. 

Once the armor was on, Time took one glance at the teens slumped next to each other and decided to give them privacy for a little longer, knowing full well how chaotic it would be once everyone woke up. The hero slipped outside, quietly taking relish in the fresh air. 

He strode through the waving grass and small, dainty flowers, the breeze stirring his hair. It was so peaceful here. He stopped at the edge of the bridge, the water running swiftly below him. The sun above shone brightly, bathing him in delicious warmth. 

“Lovely weather today, isn’t it?” 

Zelda’s voice behind him wasn’t a surprise, so he turned around and nodded. “Quite. I’d say, this almost rivals my own home…” Time sighed, his smile slipping a little as a wave of homesickness washed over him. “Malon would love this place.” 

“Is she your…” Zelda trailed off. Time’s smile returned, his eyes twinkling fondly. “Yes, she’s my wife,” he said. Zelda nodded, a thoughtful expression drawing her eyebrows together and jutting her bottom lip out. 

“Do you have any children?” she asked. Time couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, no, not yet,” he said. “I’ve got more than a handful with the eight back in there.” He gestured to the house behind them, shaking his head. 

“To be honest, I haven’t truly thought past the defeat of the Calamity. But I suppose I will have to, one day, settle down to start the bloodline of the royal family again…” Zelda trailed off, something pained flashing over her face. Nervously she rubbed the inside of her wrist. “As of right now, the idea of motherhood scares me. I’m nowhere near ready for something like that, and I don’t know if I ever  _ will  _ be.” 

Zelda blinked. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble,” she apologized, but Time waved her off. 

This...Calamity. How much has it really taken from this land? Wild had only made a few passing comments and the bluntest explanation of what it was. Now that Time thought about it, Wild had barely shared  _ anything  _ to them about his journey. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, Princess, what happened?” 

“Pardon?” Zelda asked, looking a bit lost. “Well, with the Calamity. Wild’s quest. He hasn’t told us much, and I…” Time lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “With the constant nightmares, and those scars, his amnesia, I’m concerned. I want to know how to… how to  _ help  _ him.” 

Zelda sighed. “I’m afraid I can’t say. Those are Wild’s secrets to tell, and the events of the Calamity are too closely tied to what he wants to keep private. What I  _ can  _ tell you is this: he is convinced that he is no Hero. There have been certain trials that he has had to face that...that have left him feeling like a failure. I’ll put it bluntly. Seeing you here, and the stories of victory you share, it makes that feeling of being a failure worse. You have to convince him that he is just as valued as everyone else.” 

Time stayed silent, mulling this over. 

“And one other thing?” Zelda asked.. “Promise me you’ll make sure he gets enough rest. Link will insist he has slept enough. On his journey he went  _ days  _ without sleeping, nonstop travel and fighting. He’s running on adrenaline. Please, let my Knight get the rest he deserves.” 

Zelda glanced down at her hands once more, then turned on her heel with a swish of her long golden locks. 

<><><>

_ ‘What did you tell him?’  _

Zelda scoffed. “I didn’t tell him anything.We just had a conversation. Now if you would excuse me, I need that book—” She reached around Link, her Knight begrudgingly moving out of the way. 

She gathered the book in her arms and hesitated. There was work to be done, but...how much time did she really have left with Link, until he vanished into another world, his time of return unknown? 

A horrible thought came to her. What if Zelda didn’t see her Knight for  _ years?  _

But the samples Purah had collected, from the reanimated Guardians…

“I must get going. Just remember, I’ll be at the Lab all day, alright? Feel free to visit me anytime, for any matter,” she said, holding Link’s gaze. He nodded, but grabbed her wrist before she could turn around. 

_ ‘Stay for breakfast?’  _ he asked, glancing at the stirring forms of the other Heroes. 

“I…” How could she resist that face?  _ Where  _ did he learn how to do that? 

“Alright. But I really must go soon,” she said. Link grinned.  _ ‘I’ll get cooking,’  _ he signed. 

<><><>

Breakfast was a crowded affair, the nine Heroes having to spread throughout the house for everyone to have room to eat. Zelda sat next to Link with the Hero of Wind and Hero of Warriors nearby. 

“This is really good, Wild,” the Hero of Wind said with his mouth full. Her Knight ducked his head in thanks, a small smile on his lips. He was eating his  _ second  _ breakfast. When Link told her all those years ago he was a glutton, she hadn’t realized the full extent of this. 

The conversation continued, but one detail stuck out to Zelda like a sore thumb. 

“I can’t help but notice that you keep referring to Link as ‘Wild,’” Zelda said. “Is there a reason for this?” 

“It’s his Hero title, just like how mine is Warriors. We use those as our names, because it can get a bit confusing when all nine of us are named Link,” the Hero of Warriors explained. 

Zelda turned to Link. “You’re saying that your Hero title...is  _ Wild?”  _ she asked. Link dropped his gaze to the floor, knowing exactly where the conversation was going. Hesitantly, he nodded. 

Zelda rubbed her forehead with a bitter chuckle. She knew she was losing her composure, but couldn’t bring herself to care. After everything they had been through…

“That is…” Cruel. Terribly ironic.  _ Wrong.  _

“Are you alright with being called this?” Zelda asked instead. 

Link shrugged.  _ ‘It’s okay,’  _ he signed. 

“If I may ask, what are those for?” the Hero of Warriors asked, cutting through the silence that fell. Zelda set aside her plate to pat the stack of books next to her. “These are for my research,” she said. 

“Research? Like a scholar?” the Hero of Wind asked. Zelda smiled. “Why, yes. I like to think of myself as a scholar. Research like this is my passion, and I cherish any time I get to perform it. Unfortunately, with the business of rebuilding the kingdom of Hyrule, I doubt I will have much time to conduct any research in the future…” 

Her next words were said with a smile that grew brittle. “A princess’ first duty is to her people, after all.” 

<><><>

The rest of the day was spent restocking on supplies and enjoying a day of relaxation at Hateno. Time had taken Wind, Twilight, Warriors, and Four fishing, while Hyrule was off with Sky and Legend to explore the village. 

So that left Wild alone with his thoughts, and somehow he found himself staring out at the rest of Hyrule from the hill beside the entrance to Hateno. The tattered and ragged banner fluttered over Wild’s head in the wind. His heart felt heavy here, melancholic. For some reason, this was one of the few spots in Wild’s Hyrule that really made him feel just how much this land had lost. 

But it also showed the beauty that reigned in the fall of Hyrule. 

The view was spectacular. Hateno Tower pierced the heavens with a blue glow, the Dueling Peaks behind it  _ gleaming  _ in the sunlight. The fields of grass were a delightful green, forests lush with life, the wind stirring everything with peaceful rustling. While much has been taken from this land, some things have finally been given the opportunity to flourish. 

“Quite the view.” 

Wild startled at Time’s voice from behind him. He whipped around to see the Old Man with his hands held up in surrender, a small smile playing on his lips. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. But I just thought you might want to know that everyone’s back at the house for lunch,” he said. 

Wild nodded, glancing behind Time to get a good look at Hateno Village. It was bright and lively, with red-topped houses and people milling about the worn dirt path that served as the main road. Windmills turned lazily, and over it all sat the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, where Zelda was working away, doing something she truly enjoyed for once.

“Shall we head back?” Time asked. Wild returned his attention to the older hero and gave a brief nod. They walked back down the hill and across the bridge to Wild’s house in silence, making Wild fidget with his cloak uncomfortably. Time was a hard figure for Wild to read. He knew what Time put on the surface, but what about his character inside? Time was just as secretive about his journey as him. 

The sun was high overhead when Wild pushed open the door to the house, and stepping inside he found he had to wait for his eyes to adjust to the sudden change in lighting. What he saw had the blood draining from his face and his heart rate kicking up a few dozen notches. 

The others were gathered around a framed picture, a picture from an age long since gone, a picture that held secrets of Wild’s past. 

“Hey, Wild,” Warriors called, stopping Wild from bolting out the door. “Do you want to explain what this is?” 

Wind held up the picture. The glass was kept to a perfect shine, the frame’s wood polished with infinite care. It was one of the most precious of Wild’s possessions, and his mind screamed at him to grab the picture from Wind, but fear held him rooted to the spot. 

How was he going to get out of  _ this?  _

“Wild?” Twilight asked pensively. His breathing came out in short gasps, panic settling deep within his bones. 

_ They find out everything and hate me and look down on me and pity me and they’ll know how I  _ failed,  _ how I fucked up, how I let everyone  _ die—

“Hey, it’s alright,” Time whispered from behind him. 

Wild gulped and forced his erratic breathing to calm, but that just made him feel like he was suffocating. 

Slowly, like a cornered animal, Wild crept over to the others to take the picture from Wind. The sailor handed it over willingly, and holding it in his hands sent a wave of grief through Wild. The joy, the surprise, the  _ carefreeness  _ of that photo, could never be recreated. The Champions were dead. 

There were tears burning in the back of his eyes as he walked up the stairs and hung the picture back on the wall. He had specifically hidden the photo away to make sure this wouldn’t happen. Somehow, they had found it anyway. 

He turned around with a deep breath, bracing himself for the mess that was soon to happen downstairs. 

The weight of their stares was terrifying. 

They were quiet, respectful, but Wild could see the questions burning in their eyes. He sank down into a chair and clutched the edge of his cloak with a white-knuckled grip. His heart pounded against his ribcage, echoing in his ears.  _ Thump, thump, thump.  _

“So, uh, we have some...questions,” Twilight began, shattering the silence. Wild tightened his grip on his cloak and tense, as if physically preparing for the impact of the first question. 

“I’ll go first,” Legend said. “Who  _ are  _ those people?” 

Wild shakily let go of the cloak, lifted his hands to sign, but found that no words came to him. 

_ Who are those people?  _

Who  _ were _ they? 

Mipha, beautiful and kind and understanding, beloved by her people, and despite her gentleness, one of the strongest people Wild had met. She had loved him, or at least what he used to be, but Wild had no idea if he ever loved her. He knew that they were close, very good friends, but he couldn’t remember if he had ever felt for her...that way. He knew all this, but...there was so much he didn’t know. There were so many moments, so many conversations and laughs and just a  _ friendship  _ that he didn’t know of. So many things that he didn’t remember.

Daruk, steadier than the rocks he ate, was like a brother to Wild, or...to the Link from Before. He was loud and expressive and quick to smile, but always listened. He made fast friends with everyone. All the young Gorons of Death Mountain looked up to the Champion. Wild knew these things, but it felt like precious little. 

Urbosa. Strong, like a tempest, and a great chief of the Gerudo. She was like a mother to Zelda, kind and supportive, and fearless. So brave. She went into battle without batting an eye or hesitating even a moment. 

Revali. The great Rito Warrior, revered and treasured by his people, but younger than anyone would expect. Pressure was mounted on him, just like Zelda, and he worked tirelessly to perfect his Revali’s Gale. He was full of determination and skill, but he felt threatened by Wild. So he lashed out at him. Wild...didn’t remember if he ever felt ill towards Revali. 

_ Who are those people?  _

He raised his hands once again. Did he really know who they were? No. But...he would try, at least, to explain. 

The others stayed quiet as his hands wove a tale of the Champions of Hyrule, about their wonderful and vibrant personalities, their trials and tribulations,  _ anything _ Wild could remember. 

He couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t nearly enough. 

Then he told the other Heroes about the brutal murder of his friends, how he  _ let it happen,  _ how they were taken completely offguard. 

_ ‘That was when everything fell apart,’  _ he signed with trembling hands. Emotions were a whirling, churning mess within him, making him feel sick and scared and hurt and guilty and  _ so many things.  _

He waited for some sort of response, but found nothing. They all stared at him with pity or confusion or shock, and yet none of them said a thing. 

So Wild did the natural thing, and ran. 

<><><>

Zelda jotted down several observations on her notepad, keeping one eye on the Guardian samples. Having them here was both terrifying and exciting. She knew that they were deactivated (...for the most part, that is. The point being that they can no longer shoot white-hot lasers at her) but she’d seen too much of what they could do to be completely at ease. She was glad Link—she refused to think of him as Wild—didn’t know what they were experimenting on. His reaction would be less than pleasant. 

Purah came back into the room with multiple tools gathered in her arms, delight and anticipation clear on her small face. “Anything new, before we get into the juicy stuff?” she asked as she dumped the tools onto the table next to Zelda. 

“Not anything particularly important. I don’t think we’ll be able to find what’s powering them until we start  _ running  _ the tests,” the princess replied. 

Purah grinned, striking a pose. “Click, snap, let’s start then!” 

Zelda smiled softly, accepting the protective eyewear offered by Purah. Once the goggles were secured over their faces, they began. 

A trill of excited nerves fluttered through her as Purah clipped the Guardian head to cords that ended in front of Zelda. She could focus her power along the cords, which would place it in concentrated spots. They would test the reaction in different areas to see if anything... _ malicious  _ was hiding within the Guardian. 

“Ready?” Purah asked, bouncing once on her chair. Zelda nodded, taking the cords in hand. “Ready,” she replied. 

She pushed her power through the cords, furrowing her brow in concentration. 

The power slid along the cords like a molten sun, twining it in liquid gold. It reached out toward the Guardian head, getting closer and closer—

The result was immediate. 

Malice exploded out of the head, twisting red and magenta and black, the stench of it filling Zelda’s nose and choking her. 

For a split second, all she could do was panic. Zelda was back in the castle, trapped and surrounded by her enemy, unable to do anything but fight mindlessly for decades. For a  _ century _ . 

A scream brought her back to reality. Zelda blindly grabbed Purah and lifted her hand, pushing out her power. 

Light exploded around them, and Zelda realized too late that it was  _ too much.  _

There was an unearthly shriek, a fizzling sound, and then the Malice was gone. 

The light around them faded, revealing scorched furniture and paper. Zelda and Purah kept clinging to each other, panting heavily. 

“Dear Hylia,” Zelda breathed. “...Sorry about the furniture.” 

Purah pulled away, eyes as wide as the lens of her glasses. “Snap,” the Sheikah whispered. “That...this is not good.” 

She crept up to the Guardian head, poking it with a tiny finger. Nothing happened, of course. It was dead now. 

Purah turned back to Zelda. “Do you understand what this means? The Guardians are being powered by Malice. Malice is controlled by only one thing.” 

“Calamity Ganon,” Zelda whispered. Her stomach twisted and she felt sick. 

Hadn’t they won? Ganon was  _ gone.  _ Their century of struggle was over, they were going to flourish now, Hyrule was free. 

Wasn’t it? 

“Link needs to know,” Zelda said, forcing herself to move from where she was rooted to the spot. She ripped off her goggles and dropped them on the table with trembling hands. “I’ll be back shortly, wait here.” 

She pushed open the doors to the Lab and began to  _ run,  _ her heart in her throat. Her head was spinning. 

_ Ganon wasn’t gone.  _

It was a horrible, terrifying thought. 

She was so wrapped up in her head that she almost missed her Knight, curled up against the banner at the top of the hill next to the entrance of Hateno. 

“Link,” Zelda gasped. “I have  _ quite  _ concerning news—” 

She paused when she saw the state of the Champion. 

“Link, are you alright?” she asked, kneeling down next to him. “Did something happen?” 

_ ‘They know,’  _ he signed. Zelda frowned. “Know what?” she asked. There were  _ many  _ things they could know. 

_ ‘About the Champions.’  _

Zelda rubbed her forehead. “That is…a setback. But I’m sure everyone is fine. They understand,” she said. Her next words burned the tip of her tongue. “Something happened at the Lab today with Purah. We were running experiments, and have...we have deduced that Ganon is back. I do not know how, or why—it shouldn’t even be possible. But unless something else can create and control Malice, Ganon isn’t dead.” 

<><><>

Zelda eventually convinced him to return to the house, but that was only after an hour of simply sitting in each other’s company, devastated at the fact that their victory was false. 

Once they finally made their way down the hill, however, Link realized with a good deal of panic that he couldn’t move. 

His hand shot out to grab Zelda when his upper torso lurched forward, but the rest of him stayed frozen. His breathing hitched.  _ Why couldn’t he move?  _

“What now—” The princess cut herself off when she saw the fear in his eyes and his hands signing ‘ _ stuck,’  _ over and over. 

“By the Goddess...what is that?” Zelda asked, her eyes flitting to something behind him. 

A low hum found Link’s ears, making them twitch. His stomach dropped through his feet and he didn’t need to turn around to know that a portal was behind him. 

There was shouting to his right, and he turned his head to see the others scrambling to grab their supplies before they were pulled by  _ something  _ towards the portal. 

_ No, no, no!  _ He thought. He couldn’t leave now. He  _ couldn’t.  _ Zelda needed him to figure out this Ganon mess, he needed to protect this land that he never saved, he needed to stay  _ here.  _ Not be chucked into another era, another Hyrule with its own problems, by a sadistic Goddess with a cruel sense of humor. 

He was Link. He was  _ Zelda’s Knight.  _ Not Wild. Link was the first thing he knew about himself, the first thing he remembered hearing, it was his identity. That nickname took all that away.

He turned desperately to the princess. She didn’t understand what was happening, confusion shining in her eyes. 

“Link, what’s going on?” 

The question was so  _ innocent,  _ it struck him dumb for a moment. A small girl’s voice echoed back to him from the depths of time. 

_ Linky, what’s going on?  _

He closed his eyes and bit back his tears. With great effort he managed to harden his resolve.

_ ‘I have to go,’  _ he signed. 

“What?” Zelda asked. “ _ Now, _ of all times?” 

Deep breath in. Out. In…

He took her hands in his, locked gazes with her and  _ tried  _ to convey how much he regretted leaving. Her emerald eyes widened, her face morphing into something close to fear. 

“You don’t have a choice, do you?” Zelda asked numbly. 

He let go of her hands, shaking his head mournfully. Already his chest began to ache, his stomach beginning to twist, his head starting to fill with ugly thoughts. 

“We’re leaving already?” Four groaned. Time frowned. “It is rather early for a portal to show up. Usually we have at least a week…” 

“Link,” Zelda said. He turned to the princess once more. 

“Promise me you’ll stay safe. I’ll be here when you come back, alright?” 

He gave a weak smile and nodded. After brief hesitation, he pulled Zelda into a tight hug. She embraced him just as fiercely, but eventually they had to let go. 

The portal’s tug was getting more insistent, harder to ignore. They’d run out of time. 

So he turned his back to Zelda, amandantly refusing to meet anyone’s gaze, and stepped up towards the swirling void. He glanced back once more to see Zelda with her hands clasped close to her chest. She looked small and alone, like a child lost in the forest. 

It slammed into him that he was  _ leaving her,  _ at the worst possible moment. He jerked as if trying to run back, but it was too late now. The portal swallowed him up, just before he could croak out a single, precious word he had been denied for too long now. 

_ Goodbye.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! The comments you guys leave are amazing :) and thanks for the kudos. (we broke 300! yay!)


	5. Wolfie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chain gets split up in the switch between Hyrules, and Wild meets a certain wolf for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Early update, I know! But I'm going to be away for a few days and I didn't want to wait a week between updates again so I busted my butt off writing this in two days. 
> 
> It may not seem like it at first but GUESS WHAT I DID FLUFF  
> You're welcome. It's a slight breather before I be even more evil the next chapter(s?). 
> 
> Also. I didn't edit this at all, excuse any errors or weird stuff. (hopefully its okay).

They were dropped in the middle of a river. 

The cold shock of it bit into Twilight’s skin and he gasped, only to choke on more water. His heavy chainmail dragged him down, pulling his head underwater. He kicked up desperately, feeling the current begin to sweep him away. 

He sucked in air as soon as his head broke the surface, wet hair plastered to his forehead. Already his limbs ached from the icy water and the effort of keeping his head above water. “Time!” Twilight shouted. “Cub, anyone!” 

He desperately searched the frothing, chaotic river rapids for a familiar shape. There—that was definitely  _ something _ over there. 

Twilight’s eyes widened in recognition. 

“Legend!” he cried, swimming as hard as he could against the current to get to the veteran, who was clinging to a rock with his eyes screwed shut. Twilight could now spot more of the group. Four, Warriors, and Sky were struggling to get to the riverbank, but he couldn’t see anyone else…

Twilight reached out and hooked onto the rock, breathing heavily. All his gear felt a million times heavier. “Hey, Rancher,” Legend said weakly, not bothering to lift his head from where it was pressed against the rock. Twilight realized with a jolt that there was a steady flow of blood coming from a gash on Legend’s forehead. 

He pushed down the exhaustion seeping into every part of him and grabbed Legend by the back of his tunic, pulling him close. The vet made a weak noise of protest, but his eyes were unfocused now. Twilight could feel the other hero’s shivers through the water.

He gathered the rest of his strength and pushed off the rock as hard as he could, kicking and paddling with his free arm. The river pushed at him, nudging him off course, but Twilight powered through and sank his hand into the sand of the riverbank. He heaved himself and Legend out of the water, shivering and trembling. 

Sky and Warriors rushed over to help, dragging Legend over to a dryer spot and pulling Twilight to his feet. 

He turned around and scanned the river once more, but came to the sinking realization that the others—Wild, Hyrule, Wind, and Time—weren’t there. They’d been split up in the switch between eras. 

His shoulders dropped. This wasn’t good. 

“At least they have Time with them?” Sky said, guessing his thoughts. Twilight sighed. “Those three can barely be handled by the  _ six  _ of us, how do you think Time is going to do it on his own?” 

“...Good point,” Sky said. Twilight ran a hand through his wet hair. A chill settled deep within his bones, and not just from his surprise swim. The land around them was desolate, a barren wasteland. In the distance, if he looked hard enough, Twilight could make out the shimmer of green, but it was a concerning distance away. They would need to be careful with their supplies out here. 

“If I had to guess, I would say this is the Travelers’s Hyrule,” Four spoke up. His words were slow and tired; most likely because of their recent trip through a portal. Twilight turned, glancing at Legend. 

“Don’t worry, I gave him a red potion. He should be fine, it was only a minor concussion. I’d say he’ll be good as new by tomorrow.” 

“Wonderful,” Warriors muttered, crossing his arms. Sky elbowed him in the ribs. 

“We should find shelter, set up camp for the night. It’s already getting late. Who knows, we might meet the others on the way,” Twilight said. 

Warriors scoffed. “That would be some kind of luck if we find them right away,” he said. “I say we head south, towards the... _ alive  _ part of this place.” 

Twilight frowned. “That’s too far away. We won’t make it by the time the sun sets.” 

“Then where do  _ you  _ suppose we go, farmboy?” Warriors fired back. 

Twilight pointed north. “See those cliffs right there? I bet there’s a cave that we can take shelter in.” 

“And if there isn't a cave?” Four asked. 

Twilight shrugged. “Then we make do with what we have.” 

<><><>

One moment, Link was being ripped away from his princess and best friend, and the next, he was deposited quite harshly into a lake. 

The water around him was ice cold, biting at his skin. He kicked up frantically, gasping for air once his head broke the surface. He was thankfully near the shore; Link quickly swam to dry land. A bitter wind made the cold water clinging to his skin and soaking his clothes even worse, pulling a violent shiver from him. 

He glanced back at the lake. 

...Where was everyone else? 

He squinted, making out faint shapes moving within the water. Faintly, a desperate shout of “Help!” reached Link’s ears. 

That was Hyrule.

He broke out into a run along the shore, keeping an eye on the figures in the water. He ran out along a bridge that led to a weird square island and dove off the edge without a moment’s hesitation. The cold water hit him once again, and it was too late that Link realized he should have switched to his Zora Armor. 

He swam out to the others, realizing that Wind and Time were with Hyrule. Except Time’s head was limp, and he was struggling to be held above water by the other two heroes. 

“Wild!” Wind cried out in relief. The name irked Link, but there wasn’t time to scowl about it. “Time hit the water wrong and now he’s unconscious!” The sailor bobbed underwater for a moment to adjust his grip on the older hero, who  _ was, _ in fact, unconscious. 

“He’s…really...heavy,” Hyrule panted. The traveler’s curly brown hair was plastered to his forehead and streamed water into his eyes. 

Link couldn’t lift his hands to sign, so he just took Time’s arm from Hyrule and began to pull them towards the bridge. His lungs burned in the effort and the water felt harder and harder to swim through, and the bridge felt a long way away. 

If only he was a better swimmer. Being self-taught and relying on muscle memory only got you so far. 

They made it to the bridge, barely, and Link heaved himself up onto the wooden boards. He turned around with tired limbs and heaved Time up with the last of his strength. The older hero was  _ heavy.  _

He helped pull Wind and Hyrule up as well, then just...laid there on the bridge, feeling tired and empty. 

He couldn’t bring himself to worry just yet about how it was only the four of them, couldn’t quite bring himself to worry about how they were going to get anywhere with their unofficial leader out of commission. 

He’d been taken from Zelda.  _ Again.  _

How long would he make her wait this time? Maybe not a hundred years, but it would certainly be too long. 

_ Ganon is back, and I left Zelda to face him alone. Again.  _

The sky above him was a pale blue and cloudless—uninterrupted, extending beyond his vision. Link stared up at it with no intention of getting up, until Wind’s face blocked the open view of the infinite sky, dripping cold water onto his face. 

“Hey, Wild, Hyrule needs a potion for Time,” the younger said. 

Link sat up and pulled out his Sheikah Slate, wordlessly handing over a hearty elixir. Hyrule took it with a knowing glint in his wide eyes. 

“Is he gonna be okay?” Wind asked. 

Hyrule bit his lip. “It was a pretty bad concussion. He might take a day or two to recover, even with the potion and fairy I gave him.” 

“So we’re on our own,” Wind said. The statement hung in the air. Normally, this would be something to celebrate with a little mischief. But they were in a different Hyrule, they had an injured person on their hands, and had no idea where the others were. 

This was  _ not  _ good. 

“Well, we’re in my Hyrule,” the Traveler stated after a moment. “So, at least we have someone who knows the area.” 

“Yeah...at least,” Wind said distractedly. “What should we do?” 

_ ‘Get out of the open, find shelter and make camp. Then we try to find the others in the morning,’  _ Link signed. He blinked in surprise at his hands. He didn’t even mean to say anything, the words just...came. What surprised him even more was that the others actually  _ listened.  _

“That works,” Hyrule said, glancing at the sun slipping behind the horizon. “We better hurry, though…” An idea seemed to come to the other hero. “Don’t worry. I know exactly where we can go.” 

<><><>

Twilight sighed with the crackling of the fire. The others were already asleep, tired from a day of hiking up to the cave they had spotted. But Twilight found he couldn’t bring himself to sleep. There were too many terrified thoughts whirling around in his head for him to rest. 

The night air was cool and refreshing as he stepped out of the crowded cave. Despite the desolation around them, the night sky was spectacular. It was a sea of stars, and nestled within it was the shining moon. It bathed the land in a pale white light to combat the inky black of the night. 

Twilight took a deep breath and let it out slowly. With a glance back at the others sleeping in the cave, Twilight wrapped his hand around the shard at his neck. 

The feeling of shifting was no longer painful, but it was certainly unpleasant. Of course, rearranging your entire bone structure and sprouting fur wasn’t an easy thing to do. 

The transformation was quick, however, and Twilight didn’t stay still long. He shot off into the night, the ground cold against his paws. His fur rippled in the wind, scents previously hidden from him in his Hylian form now everywhere he turned. 

Twilight let out a short, carefree howl into the night. It had been a while since he had been able to get away to transform. 

He just needed to clear his head. So Twilight kept running through the night. 

<><><>

Link frowned at the dark night all around them. He could faintly hear the growls and grunts of monsters, but they were far enough away that it shouldn’t be a problem. 

They weren’t able to make it to Hyrule’s destination in time. The sun had slipped beneath the horizon and Hyrule eventually decided to stop, claiming the nights were too dangerous to keep traveling through. They all agreed and found a small cropping of rocks to make camp in. It sheltered them from monster’s prying eyes, but they couldn’t risk a fire. They ended up eating a cold meal from the Sheikah Slate. 

Who knew leading a group of two was so hard? 

Link had unofficially become the leader of the small group once they set off. He didn’t  _ mean  _ for it to happen, but it did. And it was  _ hard.  _ None of them were the best with navigation (who needed maps, anyway? And Wind only knew how to travel by sea) but at least the Traveler knew his Hyrule pretty well. 

They had still gotten off track at least once. 

Wind tired easily, used to travel by boat. Both Link and Hyrule were more accustomed to it, but they were carrying Time. Which led to  _ quite  _ the chorus of complaints. Most of them by Wind. 

Link glanced over at Time, who now had a sickly sheen to his skin. Hyrule said he’d spiked a fever, only adding to Link’s problems. 

He ran a hand through his hair and pulled his cloak’s hood up. He needed to clear his head, and nothing did that better than a little exploration. 

He slipped away, careful not to disturb anyone, and sighed once he was away. There was just so much  _ pressure  _ on him. Between having to take care of those back in camp—which he was  _ not  _ qualified to do—having to somehow, someway, deal with Ganon again, and just...being there. Doing this supposed quest the Goddess had sent them on. And now they were missing over half of their group, and only Hylia knew where  _ they  _ were. 

The ground crunched beneath his boots, the only noise coming from Link. A howl pierced the night, and Link looked up from the ground, frowning at its familiarity. He knew that howl. But from where…

His eyes widened. Slowly, Link lifted his hands to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle that travelled quickly across the land.

A howl answered. 

His ears flicked to the source of the howl—north of him. He broke into a run without thinking about it, desperately trying to think—how? How was this possible?—and then skidded to a halt when a wolf entered his line of sight. 

He knew that wolf. 

They hadn’t met often, only on rare occasions, but...that wolf was something of a friend to Link. It had even  _ saved  _ him from a deadly snowstorm, dragging him from where he had collapsed to Selmie’s cabin. 

He _ knew that wolf.  _

The wolf tilted its head, timidly stepping forward. Link pulled back his hood, knelt down on the ground. The wolf recognized him, Link could tell, but…

Link hesitantly reached out and scratched behind the wolf’s ear, then crept closer and wrapped it into a hug.

Something was off. 

This wolf seemed...younger. It didn’t have the streaks of gray that lined his wolf’s pelt, and its ear didn’t bear the nick that had been earned in battle. The shackle on its paw wasn’t nearly as scratched or tarnished, nor did the wolf wear the blue earring in its ear. 

This...this  _ wasn’t  _ his wolf. It was something else. 

Then why did it recognize him? 

The wolf let out a small whine and ducked its head closer to the ground, giving Link the perfect view of its markings. 

It’s markings! 

The same markings  _ Twilight _ had…

“Twi...light?” Link rasped. The word came out horrendously garbled and twisted, making his face burn in shame. He let go of the wolf to rub his scars on his neck, then went to sign. It was a little silly to sign for a wolf, but he did it anyways, fingerspelling Twilight’s name in question. 

The wolf’s eyes seemed to comically widen in surprise. It pulled away from Link, ducking its head once more. Then it was encased in a blanket of shadows, startling Link enough to make him scramble backwards. 

The shadows pulled away to reveal Twilight. 

His jaw dropped. 

“Uh...hi,” Twilight said awkwardly. Link just stared at him. “Okay, I’ll explain later—where  _ were  _ you guys? Are you okay?” 

_ Twilight is okay.  _

The thought slammed into him and relieved tears were suddenly in his eyes. He lunged forward and pulled the hero—who was somehow also a wolf?—into a tight hug. All the worry he had been suppressing made itself apparent in the tears streaming down his face. Twilight hugged back, nearly crushing Link in the force of it, but he relished the feeling. Twilight was okay, and that made everything so much better. 

The rancher let out a choked laugh. “I’m glad you’re okay too, Cub,” he said into Link’s shoulder. 

“Do you know where the others are?” Twilight asked once they’d let go of each other. Link nodded, gesturing south.  _ ‘We made camp over there,’  _ he signed. 

“I hope Time was able to keep you three in check,” Twilight grinned. 

Link shrugged.  _ ‘Time is unconscious. I ended up leading them.’  _

Twilight coughed. “First off, Time is  _ what?  _ And second, I refuse to believe you,  _ Wild,  _ of all people, ended up leading those trouble makers and kept them alive.” 

Link made a face.  _ ‘It isn’t that hard to believe,’  _ he signed indignantly. 

“Yes. Yes it is.” 

He crossed his arms and turned to where their camp was hidden in the rocks.  _ ‘We should probably check in, Time wasn’t doing that good,’  _ he signed. 

“Alright, but Wild?” 

He paused. Just the way Twilight said it, so full of trust and understanding, made that nickname a little less irksome. 

He turned back and met the older’s gaze. “I’m glad you’re alright. I know that leaving your Hyrule was...hard,” Twilight said. “But we all understand that shit happens. You, Wild, are just as much a Hero of Courage as the rest of us. And don’t you  _ dare  _ forget it.” 

Link’s— _ Wild’s _ —eyes widened. He ducked his head and turned away to hide the tears that were reappearing, but they weren’t tears of joy or relief, nor were they tears of sadness or grief. 

They were tears...tears that showed Wild that he really  _ did  _ care for these people. That showed Wild he truly did have a family, a new one, that he hadn’t even meant to create. 

Wild smiled faintly. Things might be going downhill, but at least he had something. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? That's fluff, right?  
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated!  
> We will (probably) see the rest of the gang’s response to knowing about the Champions in the next chapter.


End file.
